gaaaaaaaaah. Not everyone can take aspirin, or Tylenol, or [insert painkiller here]. Like Rikibeth, codeine makes me sicker than the thing I'm taking it to deal with; after knee surgery, it only took one pill before I said "screw this, I'd rather deal with the pain." And I've been watching a friend deal with much more unpleasant situation, where the drugs that work keep getting pulled out of reach and the drugs left aren't options. It [elided for language].
Same thing with allergy meds, albeit for different reasons. Claritin, being over the counter and thus effectively free for the insurer, is all a lot of prescription plans will "cover" (or if they cover the alternatives, it's to the tune of $50/month); but Claritin doesn't *work* for everyone, especially people who've been on it for a while.
Different drugs work differently for different people. How in hell is fact this not common knowledge?
On the expectorant question: I personally love guaifenesine, which can be had in Robitussin/Pay-Less-Tussin form if you read the bottles to find whichever variety it is that has guaifenesine only. (And if you're like me and can't take pseudoephedrine for allergies and such, it's the next best sinus-clearing thing I've found.)
I also like Emergen-C, which has the vitamin C and potassium and so on without the artificial sweeteners and nasty taste of AirBorne.
I'm so sorry to hear about this, TNH and Xopher. I think I'm up to two perscription drugs pulled out from under me now, which was upsetting even with crappy-but-workable alternatives. I can't imagine going through that with no other alternative. I've got my fingers crossed for you finding a source overseas for the short term, and for the FDA and one of the drug companies taking another look at it under the orphan drug program and getting narcolepsy approved as an on-label use for the long term. As well as fingers typing on the email-writing front, of course.
(A side note to CJ, waaaaay upthread: I also had Seldane pulled out from under me, and Allegra (the replacement) had very similar effects for me. Mood-altering Stepford purple KoolAid effects, but similar ones nontheless. Claritin works passably for me -- and is even OTC! -- and I've heard really good things about Zyrtec, although it's expensive and I for one don't have a chance in hell of convincing my insurance to let me go on it. And a lot of people swear by the new perscription nasal sprays. So -- there's lots of new stuff out there in the post-Seldane world that's worth trying.)
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